Join us and some of the thousands of ‘princes and princesses’ born at Willersley during its spell as a WWII maternity hospital. This will be a fascinating week of delving into the history surrounding our charming stately home, looking at its links to the Derwent Valley Mills World Heritage Site and the wider landscape.

The Willersley Babies

After the outbreak of the Second World War in 1939, pregnant women who lived in London were given the option to give birth at home or leave the city for the relative calm and safety of the countryside. Willersley Castle was one of the locations selected to take on the role of temporary maternity hospital and every fortnight a group of expectant mothers would leave London and travel by train or charabanc to the castle. In total over 5,000 babies were born at the castle between 1939 and 1946.